From a habit to a husband : representation of the intersection between religion and masculinities in John Ruganda’s play, The Burdens (1972)
Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice, University of the Western Cape
Abstract
This paper examines how John Ruganda represents the intersection
between religion and masculinities in his play, The Burdens (1972), which
imagines an ex-Catholic nun marrying and bringing up a family. It argues
that literary texts are an important avenue through which the intersection
between religion and gender can be explored, leading to a rich harvest of
nuanced insights. Data is collected through a close reading of the play
under analysis, within the socio-political context in which it was written
and produced, that is, the politically turbulent decade following Uganda’s
flag independence in 1962, characterised – among others – by events like
the abolition of kingdoms by the Prime Minister, Milton Obote, and his
ouster in a military coup by his army commander, General Idi Amin, on 25
January, 1971. The analysis of the text is guided by insights drawn from
selected scholars of masculinities featured in Helen Nabasuta Mugambi
and Tuzyline Jita Allan’s edited volume, entitled Masculinities in African
and Cultural Texts (2010).
Description
CITATION: Kahyana, D. S. 2020. From a habit to a husband : representation of the intersection between religion and masculinities in John Ruganda’s play, The Burdens (1972). African Journal of Gender and Religion, 26(1):1-25, doi:10.14426/ajgr.v26i1.58.
The original publication is available at https://ajgr.uwc.ac.za
The original publication is available at https://ajgr.uwc.ac.za
Keywords
Catholic church, Masculinity
Citation
Kahyana, D. S. 2020. From a habit to a husband : representation of the intersection between religion and masculinities in John Ruganda’s play, The Burdens (1972). African Journal of Gender and Religion, 26(1):1-25, doi:10.14426/ajgr.v26i1.58.